Machines that use yarn often draw many individual yarns from so-called creels, and the yarns then travel to the machine. In practice, there is sometimes a need to be able to determine the yarn quantity and/or yarn speed of the yarns traveling to the machine. For that purpose, a yarn measuring device is known, such as disclosed in German Published Patent. Application DE-OS 2557593, which is a hand-operated measuring instrument suitable for freehand measurements. This yarn measuring device has a pistol-shaped two-legged housing, one leg of which forms a handle and the other leg of which has a yarn catcher on its free end. The yarn catcher is formed by a pivotably supported lever, which has a peg with a thickened head on its free end that serves as a yarn guide element. A drum that is connected to a rotary speed measuring device is rotatably supported concentrically with the axis of rotation of the pivot lever. The pivot lever is connected, via a rack drive mechanism, to an actuating lever that is accessible on the front of the housing part that forms the handle. It can be moved onto the handle, counter to the force of a pre-stressing spring, causing the pivot lever to execute a pivoting motion of approximately 180°. If a yarn was previously engaged from behind with its yarn guide element, then the yarn is as a result placed on the rotatably supported drum, which is thus set into rotation by the yarn motion. The rotary speed of the drum is a measure for the yarn speed.
Measuring the yarn speed in the foregoing manner is adequate for some applications. However, the need exists for a more-versatile yarn measuring device.